The Billionaire's Wife Read Online Free PDF Page B

said. "Now what can I do for you?"
    Wordlessly I held out the contract.
"I need you to look over this for me. It's a contract. Or a prenuptial
agreement. I'm not sure."
    If she had worn glasses, I'm sure
she would have given me a sharp look over the top of them. "You
don't?"
    I shrugged. "That's why you're
the lawyer and I'm not," I said.
    "Your fiance didn't tell you
which it was?"
    "He's not my fiance yet. He's
just this guy that wants to marry me."
    Her eyebrows shot up. "And do
you want to marry him?"
    "Not really," I told her.
"But if I did it would solve a lot of problems."
    For a long moment she looked at me.
I could practically hear what she was thinking, which was unsurprising because
I had thought many of those things myself.
    Finally she gestured for me to sit
down, and I did, sinking gratefully into one of the rich leather chairs in
front of her desk. She sat across from me and began to thumb through the
contract. The pages ruffled loudly in the quiet of the room, though through the
thick windows of her office I could hear the city going about its business. My
father had worked in New York all his life, but commuted from out of state. My
mother currently lived in San Francisco. The sounds of the city were usually
comforting to me, but as the silence between us stretched out longer and longer
I began to wish I'd brought some headphones. I wouldn't even have to plug them
into anything. Just stick one end in my pocket and pretend I didn't care about
how this ridiculous contract made me look. Pretend I didn't care about
anything. I tried to ignore the few times she cleared her throat and looked at
me, opting to study the law tomes lining her walls, which were just as dull as
I thought they would be.
    At last she set the contract down
and folded her hands in front of her. She appeared to be searching for words.
My stomach, still on the mend from the abuse I'd put it through last night,
clenched, and I tried to shrink into my clothes.
    "Miss Dare," she said at
last, "I haven't ever quite seen a contract like this. I can only assume
your reasons for considering it are good ones, but it is my professional
opinion that this contract is not legally binding."
    I sat up. "So... that's like a
loophole, right? I can sign it and get married and then divorce him?"
    Her lips twisted, and I knew her
answer wasn't going to be quite that simple. "The problem, you see, is
that it is a prenuptial agreement in the strictest sense. If you choose
to divorce Mr. Waters for any reason, you will get nothing. That he wishes you
to, ah, allow him certain liberties and wishes to codify them into a contract,
then he may choose to terminate the marriage if you do not agree." A frown
creased her face, traveling along well-worn lines. "Sexual provisions in
prenuptial agreements cannot be enforced, as the refusal of one spouse would
render said sexual interaction as rape rather than consensual sex, and the law
cannot condone nor enforce rape. This clause would be found invalid in a court
of law, should Mr. Waters choose to sue you."
    I felt the last shred of hope
slipping through my fingers. "But... wouldn't that invalidate the whole
contract?" I asked plaintively.
    Ms. Gray sighed. "I'm afraid
not. There is a severablity clause included. Should one part of the contract be
rendered invalid, it will be removed, but the contract is still valid.
Therefore, should you choose to sign this contract, Mr. Waters will be able to
terminate your marriage for any reason he desires, and you will be left with
only the assets with which you entered. If you terminate the marriage,
the same thing will happen."
    I bit my lip. I didn't like this
one bit. "What does it say, exactly?"
    She leaned back in her chair and
steepled her fingers. "Well, it's fairly standard outside of the, ah,
sexual provisions. Both parties are expected to be faithful. You will be given
an allowance, both for yourself, your vocation, and for various projects you
choose to pursue. In the event